Pedal attachment.



S. W. WIDNEY. PEDAL ATTACHMENT. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1912.

1,132,057. Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D. C.

STANLEY W. WIDNEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PEDAL ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

Application filed June 22, 1912. Serial No. 705,226.

To all whomt't may concern:

Be it known that I, STANLEY W. WIDNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pedal Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in pedal attachments for pianos and the like and has among its salient objects to provide novel and improved means for closing the openings in the toe rail through which the pedals extend to prevent mice or other vermin entering the piano at this point and at the same time in no way interferes with the freedom of movement of the pedal shanks; to provide in a construction of the character referred to, an improved form of mouse guard which can be readily attached to the standard types of pedal shanks and is adapted to move bodily with the latter; to provide a construction in which the mouse guard is seated at the inner side of the toe rail so as to be substantially concealed from View; to provide simple and yet effective spring supports for the pedal bars and in which the latter are firmly locked against lateral or longitudinal movement relative to the spring supports, and without the use of bolts, screws, or other extraneous fastening devices; to provide a construction in which the spring supports are so connected to the pedal bars that depression of the latter automatically increases the effective tension of the springs; to provide a spring support of the above character which is more particularly adapted for use with wooden or metal pedal bars and in general to provide simple and improved means of the character referred to.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawingsFigure 1 is a perspective view of a piano pedal action equipped with my invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the same; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, partly in section and partly in side elevation and showing more particularly the construction of the mouse guard; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of one of the pedal bars; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the spring supports for such bars.

Referring to the drawings-4 designates the base or bottom of the piano case and 2 the toe rail, which is suitably apertured to receive the pedal shanks 3, 3 of the respective pedals 4, 4. In the present instance the pedal shanks 3 are of an inverted channel shape as shown in cross section in Fig. 3. The inner ends of these pedals are pivoted as shown at 5 to suitable brackets or mountings 6, fastened as shown at 7 to the base 1. To each of the pedal shanks is connected a lifter rod or pedal prop 8, the upper end of which is secured as shown at 9 to corresponding pedal bars 10. As shown more clearly in Figs. 2 and 8, the apertures 2 in the toe rail are considerably larger than the cross section of the pedal shanks 3, in order to permit of the depression of the pedal.

To prevent mice or other vermin from entering the piano through the openings in the toe rail for the pedals below the shanks of the latter, various forms of mouse guards have heretofore been devised. Some of these mouse guards have been particularly adapted to peculiar types of pedal shanks and others have been bent around or over the shank of the pedal. These mouse guards however, have for one reason or another been objectionable from a commercial standpoint. None of them as far as I am aware combines the simplicity and effectiveness of my invention.

Referring in particular to Figs. 2 and 3, my improved form of mouse guard comprises a flat metal plate 11, provided at its upper end with a reduced extension or tongue 12, which fits in the channel of the shank 3 and terminates in a right angled extension or lip 13, which is secured by a screw 14: and a nut 15 to the under side of the shank 3. The guards are preferably secured to the shanks 3 just inside of the toe rail 2 and when the pedals are depressed the guards enter the slot or channel 16 cut in the face of the base or bottom board 1. It will be noted that the slot 16 and the main body of the guard 11 are inclined downwardly and inwardly so that the guards will not interfere with the free movement of the pedals as the latter swing upon their pivots when they are depressed or carried downwardly.

The construction just described is such that it efl'ectively prevents any mice from entering the piano and further that the guard is rigidly locked against displacement without in any way interfering With the pedal action.

Referring :now to the rmanner of supporting the pedal bars 10, which forms one feature of the present invention'the lower end of=each of these bars is provided with a downwardly and forwardly inclined slot 17, adapted to receive the upper end 18 of the curved supporting spring 19. Each of these springs is formed of a flat single piece of springsteel, the lower end of Whichis se curedat20, 21 to the base 1,.the upper end of which is notched as shown at 22 to form ears .23. These ears23 fit over the opposite sides ofthe corresponding pedal bars 10 as shown clearly in Fig. l. The constructionis such that thepedal bars are detachably yet effectively locked against lateralmovement independent of their spring supports. In addition the arrangement just described increases the eifective action of the springs. Asthe gpedal is depressed the inner end of its .pedal .bar is carried downwardly and the slotted portions of the bar tightly gripthe upper end of the spring thus giving'thedesired tension to the spring support. It is obvious that the pedal bars may be readily connected to or detached from their springs while at the same time there is no danger of the bars working loose fromtheirspring supports.

I am aware that numerous devices of spring supports have been heretofore devised but none of them obtain the efiectivenessof-Iithe present invention.

The invention is not limited to the details of construction shown except as set forth in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In a piano pedal attachn1ent,.the combination with a basemembenatoerail therefor having a pedal opening a pedal having a shankaext ending through said opening said shank being of inverted channel shape 'in cross section, a pivotal support for the inher end of said shank, a mouseguardatthe inner end of said opening comprising a Iflat plate of comparatively-thin sheetmetalprovided at its upper end withan angularly bent tongue secured to theunder side of said shank and fitting into the channel thereof, and a bolt extending through said shank and tongue securing said parts together, the

main body of said guardbeing inclinedinwardly toward said support, and said base having-a similarly inclined slot to receive saidguard when thepedal is depressed.

STANLEY 'l/V. WIDNEY. Witnesses:

ALBERT .H. GRAVES, -EMILIE ROSE.

Copies .of .this patentmay be obtained-fictive cents each, by addressing ,the Commissioner 013.1atents, ashington, 10.;0. 

